Another day, another flop: The problem with the Until Dawn remake

As a long-time fan of survival horror games, I must admit that my initial excitement for the Until Dawn Remake was short-lived. Having played the original back in 2015, I was eagerly anticipating the remastered version, hoping for improved graphics and an enhanced narrative experience. However, the reality has been quite disappointing.

On October 4, the remake of Until Dawn, initially planned for release in 2024, became available on PlayStation 5 and PC. However, it has received quite unfavorable responses from fans. So, what’s going on with this game?

In 2015, the horror-themed interactive survival game “Until Dawn” was released on PlayStation 4. It was particularly popular among fans of the “choose your own adventure” style or those who enjoy games where decisions impact the story’s outcome. Developed by Supermassive Games and distributed by Sony, they attempted to revitalize the game with a PC remake. Unfortunately, this attempt failed for several reasons. I’ll elaborate on why it didn’t work out as planned.

Until Dawn’s initial success

Let’s explore why Until Dawn was such a hit in 2015 before we delve into why its remake isn’t doing well. In its debut week, it ranked as the second highest-selling game in the U.K., trailing only behind Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. By the end of January 2016, the game had already sold an impressive 1.38 million copies, a figure that surprised the developers.

One key factor drawing players to this game was its compelling narrative. In terms of visuals for a 2015 release, the graphics were exceptionally well-done. The mechanics, horror aspects, music, voice acting, and overall design all contributed to elevating the game’s quality.

The problem with Sony

Starting from 2015, Sony Interactive Entertainment (commonly known as Sony) has attempted to duplicate the success of Until Dawn by creating games with similar elements: horror genres, slasher themes, captivating storylines, and interactive narratives where player choices matter. Games like The Dark Pictures Anthology and The Quarry are examples of this approach. Despite their quality, these titles haven’t matched the sales success achieved by Until Dawn.

Because the games didn’t quite reach their peak popularity, Sony came up with a new plan: reintroduce Until Dawn to the limelight by unveiling a remake at the 2023 Game Awards. The game development will be handled by Ballistic Moon, a company founded in 2019 by some of the original founders of Supermassive Games. This version of the game is set to release on both PC and PlayStation5.

Until Dawn remake: What changed?

Attempting to re-create a 2015 game was a daring move for Sony, and it might have backfired on them. As mentioned earlier, the original game had impressive graphics, so what adjustments were being made in the remake? Investigate some of the differences discussed on the Until Dawn subreddit.

Characters Design and Lights

One key distinction lies in the character models: we paid extra attention to highlighting striking traits and adding intricate details like scars, grime, or beads of sweat. In the initial game, the lighting was dimmer, which made it challenging for players to discern these subtle details clearly. Moreover, the depiction of a character’s demise was more graphic in this revised version.

In its original version, this game is set entirely at night, and some scenes could get quite dark thematically. For instance, consider this image from Until Dawn featuring the Stalker character. Here, you can notice details like the glowing green eyes, the worn mask with signs of damage, and the ominous slit for a mouth.

New Camara Controls and Collectibles

One notable difference lies in the camera perspectives. In the original Until Dawn (2015), the game employed fixed camera angles, resulting in limited camera movement. However, in the remake, the developers opted for a predominantly over-the-shoulder third-person viewpoint, which has injected fresh dynamics into the characters and settings. Additionally, new collectibles have been incorporated, along with enhanced interactions between characters and newly introduced locations.

Prologue Rework

However, the most captivating modifications were made in the introduction. The creators explained this decision by intensifying the emotional depth of the game and providing a richer backstory for the joke that ignited the plot as well as the connections among John, Hannah, and Beth. This way, players could grasp the complexities of their family interactions more clearly.

Why is Until Dawn Flopping?

Initially, it appeared that improvements such as enhanced character designs and smoother camera movements made the game feel more authentic. However, upon closer inspection, some unexpected problems surfaced that had gone unnoticed.

Image Quality Problems

Despite some players and broadcasters voicing concerns over image quality problems, glitches, and inconsistent frame delivery, Eurogamer points out that the 2024 remake has several issues such as “frame rate ordering problems”, an “outdated film grain effect” that updates gradually, and frequent pixelation during motion. Critics have noted that the ray tracing and DLSS performance isn’t optimal, and some music alterations from the original game are not well-received. Additionally, requiring a PlayStation Network account has raised concerns among fans.

The Price

As a gamer, I’ve noticed that the remake of Until Dawn didn’t quite take off as strongly as Sony’s Concord, the shut-down shooter game, upon its release. According to TrueTrophies, the player count for Until Dawn was an astounding 98.5% lower than The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered. This discrepancy might be due to the fact that The Last of Us Part 2 had a budget-friendly upgrade price from PS4 to PS5, while Sony priced the Until Dawn Remake at around $60 (70€).

One major issue that arose after the release was the high price point, given that improvements like better lighting and additional details didn’t seem to justify the introduction of a new game at this elevated cost. Those who purchased it found themselves dealing with quality problems and frequent disconnections, which left them feeling dissatisfied about the money they spent. Interestingly, according to SteamDB, the game peaked at only 2,067 concurrent players on its launch day, a number that is relatively low compared to the success of Until Dawn in 2015.

New movie and Until Dawn Sequel?

Is there a question about whether Sony continues to aim to capitalize on the audience of Until Dawn? Indeed, they do. Recently, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Until Dawn is set for a cinematic adaptation. This project will be supervised by David F. Sandberg, known for writing Annabelle II, It, and The Nun. At this point, we’re not privy to any specifics about the movie’s release date.

The 2024 remake of Until Dawn has introduced a fresh ending, which seems to suggest that Sony could be developing a sequel for the game. Following the end credits, there’s a brief black screen and a message reads “Los Angeles, some time later”. This is followed by a scene featuring Sam, one of the main characters. If you’re interested in watching this scene, a fan on Reddit has shared it online.

There’s still some time before we can definitively say it’s a failure, but the evidence is hard to ignore. Will the authenticity of Until Dawn survive after this remake?

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2024-10-09 20:43